Weligama is a town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in Matara District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The name Weligama, literally means "sandy village" which refers to the area's sandy sweep bay. It is approximately 144 kilometres (89 mi) south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 9 metres (30 ft) above the sea level. About 15 kM from Matara towards Galle is a popular resort town of Weligama. Here are many recently built hotels for visitors in search of the sun and sand. The rest house at Weligama is one of the oldest rest houses in Sri Lanka. The Aggrabodhi Vihara about 1 Km from the rest house towards inland is an ancient temple established in the 3 century BC. The temple is mentioned in several ancient literature works in 13th and 14th centuries confirms it's importance, but had been destroyed by the Portuguese and many of the existing buildings are of recent construction. Coordinates: 5°58′26″N 80°25′46″ECoordinates: 5°58′26″N 80°25′46″E Country Sri Lanka Province Southern Province Government • Chairman H.H Mohamed Population (2012) • Total 72,511 Time zone Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30) • Summer (DST) Summer time (UTC+6)